Do online marathons help you lose weight and is it worth participating in them?

What are weight loss marathons?

Online Weight Loss Marathons are programs ranging from 21 to 35 days. They cost from 350 to 10,000 rubles and include:

• Diet recommendations. Calorie intake, amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, list of prohibited foods, food intake. Depending on the specific program, a person can receive general recommendations or a specific menu for the entire duration of the marathon.
• Workout plan with exercise videos. As a rule, these are intense sets of exercises with your body weight, which can be performed at home.
• Weekly reports. Participants receive control tasks and send videos with their implementation. In addition, they have the ability to chat with other losing weight.

Also, some promoted marathons use the opportunity to win prizes as motivation: money, cars, various certificates.

And how much can you lose in one marathon?

Participants call different numbers. Typically two to eight kilograms per month. But one must understand that only the total body weight is taken into account here. The amount of fat lost can only be judged after a special analysis, and this is not the case in marathons.

Nutritionist and gastroenterologist Svetlana Nezvanova says that doctors determine weight loss not by weight, but by biopedansometry. This is a diagnostic method in which electrical resistance is measured in different parts of the body and is accurately displayed fat percentage, muscle mass and other body tissues.

Svetlana Nezvanova

Nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist. More than 12 years of experience in anti-age therapy, nutritional medicine and functional medicine. Member of the international council of doctors in the field of keto diet, LCHF diet and GAPS protocol.

Fat mass is burned gradually, and this metabolic process takes place through the liver. Therefore, our resources are limited. Women cannot burn more than 3 kg of adipose tissue per month, men - more than 4–4.5 kg. All other lost kilograms are muscle components, cellular structures and water.

But at least I will still throw off?

Not necessary. In addition to a negative calorie balance, there are other factors that determine success in losing weight. Svetlana says that a lot depends on the state of organs and metabolic rate.

Svetlana Nezvanova

I have a lot of stories when a person eats 1-2 times a day and consumes less than 1,000 kcal, but his weight not only does not decrease, but also grows. Sometimes for the first two weeks we just work on cleansing the intestines, restoring the digestive tract and speeding up the metabolic rate.

Good sleep is of the utmost importance: not getting enough sleep can ruin all your efforts.

Svetlana Nezvanova

From ten in the evening until two in the morning, the body synthesizes two important hormones - melatonin and growth hormone, which are responsible for the metabolism and burning of fats. If a person goes to bed after 1 am, the level of these hormones drops, and cortisol levels rise. This hormone retains water in the body and promotes the accumulation of adipose tissue. And it is he who prevents weight loss.

In addition, losing weight is more difficult with impaired function. thyroid gland - an organ responsible for the production of hormones. If you have the above problems, the marathon may not produce any results at all.

If excess weight is solely the result of a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, the marathon will help you lose 2-3 kg. However, after the program ends, they will most likely return.

Why is the weight coming back?

Online marathons provide a sense of belonging to a group, set a goal and provide clear guidelines for achieving it. All this helps the participants to hold on, follow the rules and lose weight.

The problem is that after the end of the obligations, there is no more, and the habit of proper nutrition and physical activity is not formed. As a result, the person returns to normal life and regains the lost pounds.

Ekaterina Tereshchenkova

Participant of the Frenzied Drying marathon

I was in Crazy Drying for two seasons. The first time I lost 6 kg, by the second season I gained it again, and then I dropped it again.

The marathon helped, but as soon as it was over, I started to fear food. I was afraid to get better, I could not eat. And now I have eaten not 6 kg, which I lost, but much more. For probably a year now I have been suffering from the fact that I am afraid to deny myself something and continue to gain weight due to psychological fear.

And one more thing, why I returned the kilos... During the marathon, I developed the habit of eating 5-6 times a day, but not cooking and choosing the right food. And these 5-6 meals of the wrong food led to the fact that I was simply bombed.

Sudden changes, fear of losing results, guilt over weight gain all cause stress, which in turn contributes to overeating and fat accumulation. A person falls into a vicious circle, from which it is not so easy to get out.

Okay, well, at least the marathon won't hurt?

Not necessary. It all depends on your health condition.

Svetlana Nezvanova

Often people with high overweight go to marathons who have tried more than one diet. They may have gallstones, gastrointestinal diseases, hormonal problems. Since physical activity and nutritional recommendations are given without taking into account personal characteristics, problems with joints and spine, exacerbation of gallstone disease may begin.

Big excess weight sedentary lifestyle, middle age - all this increases the risk that the marathon will have dire consequences.

Marina Kupfer

Nutritionist, naturopath, phytotherapist, rehabilitation therapist

In marathons, body type, metabolic processes, diseases and risks are not taken into account. For example, if there are risks of diseases of the cardiovascular system and there is a tendency to blood clotting, a blood clot may break off during exercise, leading to instant death.

Marina Kupfer told several stories from the practice, in which marathons had a bad effect on the health of the participants.

The organizers of the marathons disclaim all responsibility for the health of the participants. In any rules, you will find a warning that you need to consult with all specialists before starting. However, they are rarely read, and the organizers never ask for information.

What if you consult a doctor?

In this case, you will reduce the risk of earning any disease. Before changing your usual diet, consult a gastroenterologist and do the necessary tests.

Svetlana Nezvanova

In no case should you go on a diet without examination. At a minimum, you need to determine if there are stones in the gallbladder and kidneys, ulcers or erosion.

Also worth visiting a cardiologist. To burn more calories, marathons use intense interval complexes, and they can be dangerous for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

In addition, it is worth going to an orthopedic surgeon to rule out joint and spine problems.

So you can still participate?

You can, if you have no health problems, a little overweight and have some habit of physical activity. In this case, the marathon will provide motivation and help you quickly lose a few pounds.

But keep in mind that as soon as you stop following the rules, the dropped weight will return. Few people continue to exercise after the end of the program: motivation, constant control and commitment disappear, and the habit of healthy eating and training is not formed.

Any long term change must start gradually.

If you want to get used to proper nutrition and not overeat, switch to healthy foods and do not significantly reduce calories. See a dietitian and find a nutritional system that you feel comfortable with for the rest of your life.

It's the same with training. If daily sets of exercises are perceived as torture and are performed only out of a sense of duty, after the end of the marathon, the sport will disappear from your life.

Choose an activity that you like, get used to doing it regularly and with pleasure. Only in this way physical activity will become a part of your life and provide you with a healthy and beautiful body.